1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a content delivery system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing next-generation user-customized services.
2. Description of the Related Art
The rapidly evolving mobile market continuously requires the creation of new services through recombination and/or integration of the existing communication technologies. Due to the development of telecommunications and broadcasting technologies, users currently enjoy the next-generation user-customized services on a mobile terminal (hereinafter terminal) such as a cell phone and a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) in the conventional broadcasting system or mobile communication system.
Content service is a type of next-generation user-customized service. To provide the content service, a Service Provider (SP) should have, in advance, information about both of each zone (an interval between ‘fromPoint’ and ‘toPoint’) and its associated obligation for full streaming content.
However, it is difficult to obtain both zone information and obligation information for streaming content in advance, if the streaming content is large in capacity or should last for at least a few months. In addition, a license should include both zone information and obligation information, which causes an increase in license size, making it exceedingly difficult to efficiently support the streaming content.
In order to address these and other problems, zone and obligation information for only some of the entire streaming content may be stored in the license. However, since the non-stored remaining zone and obligation information should necessarily be transmitted to a related terminal, license update should occur at regular intervals. Accordingly, there is a need for a method capable of preventing the possible increase in license size and the periodic license update.